The New Year has arrived
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
The final travel date was set for after the New Year, with the trip expected to last a week. Qiao Yu had never experienced such a long journey and couldn’t help but feel excited about it.
When it came to choosing the destination, the younger three in the group spoke up passionately. After considering everyone’s opinions, with a grand gesture, Mom pointed to Japan on the map.
“A place with delicious food, a comfy environment, and authentic Kamen Rider merchandise—it could only be Japan!”
“I think the destination was pretty much decided the moment the last criterion was mentioned.”
By the way, the requirements Qiao Yu mentioned were for delicious food, with the other two stipulated by Lin Qing and Cong Ye (obviously).
Even though Cong Ye’s speech, filled with personal desire, had set the destination in stone, Qiao Yu had no objections. And just like that, both families solidified their travel plans.
Qiao Yu was initially thinking, since she was going along, it wouldn’t feel right not to ask Mi Yi and Lu Yao if they wanted to join. So, she stealthily sought the opinions of Lin Qing and Cong Ye, only to find out they had already asked.
“I approached them after our two families had settled on it, but they both declined.”
“Oh, I see. Looks like those two are pretty busy during the holidays—”
“No, Mi Yi’s reason for refusing was she wants to spend her days off lounging at home, waking up naturally, not stepping out at all.”
Qiao Yu found herself at a loss for words, watching the lazy expression Cong Ye mimicked as Mi Yi, uncertain of what to say.
“So, what about Lu Yao? Did he decline because he didn’t want to step out either?”
“That’s not it. He said his family wants him to go on a matchmaking date.”
“…”
Qiao Yu bit back her words and decided to hold her tongue, silently sending prayers from her heart for her poor friend Lu Yao.
So it turned out that besides the parents, the group for the trip would consist of just the male and female leads and her, the recorder.
Qiao Yu thought about it and found her role kind of awkward. Even before winter break began, she started worrying about how she should act on the trip. Would she have to discreetly create chances for the two of them to be alone?
But then she realized, even if she did manage to leave the two some space, she’d still have to sneak around and watch them to write about it. The thought left Qiao Yu feeling pretty sour; she wasn’t too keen on playing matchmaker for someone else.
However, she didn’t have to worry about this just yet. There were plenty of things to do before the trip, like, for example, the final exams for this semester.
Thanks to Lin Qing’s tutoring all semester long, Qiao Yu was no longer the girl who started the school year fretting about having to take remedial classes. The knowledge she had once learned was quickly revived with Lin Qing’s explanations, and Qiao Yu achieved a top ten ranking in her class for the final exams.
Although she was only tenth, for Qiao Yu, who had started the school year at the very bottom of the tenth exam room, this was enough to puff her chest out with pride. Mother Qiao and Father Qiao couldn’t believe their eyes as they looked over her report card again and again. Mother Qiao covered her face dramatically, tears streaming down her face with joy.
“Yuyu is amazing! Truly daddy’s little treasure!”
Overwhelmed with happiness, Father Qiao tried to lift her up in celebration, but retreated under Qiao Yu’s icy stare, settling for a hug instead.
“I’m so relieved now! After all, Yuyu is going to be a senior next year, and grades are important. What university do you want to attend? Or are you thinking of studying abroad?”
“Ah… probably not going abroad.”
Qiao Yu’s mind drew a blank. Truth be told, she had no idea about the universities in this world, and going abroad was out of the question. After all, Lin Qing would surely stay in the country, and for the sake of the plot development, that guy Cong Ye was also bound to stay put. As someone who needed to keep a close eye on them to write her novel, Qiao Yu naturally had to stay as well.
University exams, huh…
Qiao Yu hadn’t thought about this issue and her feelings were complicated.
She figured she’d have to stay in this world for at least another four or five years. Yet, after graduating from high school, things would become wildly unpredictable, mainly concerning where Qiao Yu would end up.
After all, judging by the current looks of things, Lin Qing and Cong Ye getting into the same university wouldn’t be tough, but for Qiao Yu to keep up would be a bit difficult.
Qiao Yu certainly wanted to attend the same university as Lin Qing, but given the current situation, she figured she would probably need to study until she puked blood to catch up.
“…Hey System, don’t you have any way to get me directly into the same school as them?”
“This, um, requires the host to make an effort on their own…”
“You really are useless except for updating the novel, aren’t you?”
Qiao Yu ended the conversation with the System, which turned out to be not much help besides being a crybaby. With no real plan in mind, she roughly figured that her initial strategy was to just study hard.
Striving to attend the same school as someone she liked—it sounded like the plot of a youth drama.
Lamenting how writing was really not easy and now she even had to worry about her grades, Qiao Yu exhaled deeply, feeling like she had become a legit high school student.
During the time from the start of winter vacation to before the New Year, Qiao Yu wasn’t idle at all. First, she had to finish her winter break homework in advance, second, to prepare for the upcoming trip, and third, to face the various New Year’s parties and family visits that are a must for someone born into a wealthy second-generation family.
With these considerations, time was actually quite tight, but fortunately, she wasn’t the only busy rich kid. Later on, Qiao Yu would brazenly bring her winter homework to the parties, and then she’d bump into Cong Ye, who was also lugging his books around. The two, dressed in formal attire, would seriously do their homework on-site at the banquet, and dispatch a quick nod as a greeting to anyone who came over trying to chat, before ignoring them and diving back into their studies.
“Has Lin Qing finished already?”
“Yeah, she doesn’t have to attend these tedious parties, so she has plenty of time. Oh right, here’s the Chinese excerpt material she wanted me to pass on to you, here you go.”
“Wow, I’m eternally grateful… Truly an honor student, to finish her homework and still have the energy to help me out…”
“I think a proper thank you would be to devote yourself to her.”
“If you spout weird things again, I’m going to douse your freshly written essay with borscht.”
And so, in a barely harmonious atmosphere, Qiao Yu successfully navigated through these three tribulations to welcome the New Year.
The New Year’s Eve celebration in this world wasn’t anything special, but Qiao Yu, who’s big on ceremony, still mustered her spirits and sat with her parents in front of the TV until the very last moment.
After the New Year’s bells rang, Qiao Yu gave a symbolic clap, her heart filled with a sigh. It’s been half a year since she came to this world already—time sure flies.
Father Qiao and Mother Qiao, always busy, handed Qiao Yu a hefty red envelope before they got caught up responding to the flood of New Year’s greetings on their phones. Stretching languidly, Qiao Yu returned to her room and took out her phone to send New Year greetings to her friends. Seeing that Lu Yao and Cong Ye were already goofing off in the chat, and Mi Yi sliding in with a concise ‘Happy New Year’ among the flurry of messages.
Just as she was pondering what blessings to send out, her phone buzzed with an incoming call—it was from Lin Qing.
With a flutter in her heart, Qiao Yu couldn’t help but smile as she picked up the call and brought it to her ear.
“Happy New Year, Qiao Yu.”
Lin Qing’s voice, tinged with laughter, rang in Qiao Yu’s ear, causing a burst of sentiment that she could hardly contain.
Thankfully, hidden behind the phone, Lin Qing couldn’t see the softness that took over her expression. Qiao Yu wandered over to the window, speaking in a hushed tone, “Happy New Year to you too. Am I the first?”
“Yeah, I timed it perfectly to call you first. Did I interrupt anything?”
“Not at all, I’m really happy.”
Qiao Yu felt so elated she thought she might bubble over with joy, standing before the window and gazing into the distance, comforted by the thought that Lin Qing was on the other end of the line, not too far away. A deep sense of contentment filled her heart.
A biting wind blew outside, in stark contrast to the cozy warmth inside her room. In their city, fireworks and firecrackers were banned, which admittedly took some festivity out of the New Year’s atmosphere. But at this moment, Qiao Yu appreciated the quiet; it allowed her to hear Lin Qing’s soft laughter all the more clearly.
No other sounds competed for attention, as if in their entire world, there were only the two of them.
“For the New Year, I wish you peace, joy, and smooth sailing without worries.”
Confronted with Lin Qing’s obviously intentional sentiment, Qiao Yu couldn’t help but laugh.
“Aren’t you stealing my line?”
“There’s no such thing as stealing here. Enough with the interruptions, it’s your turn to wish me well.”
Lin Qing’s words carried a warm, mischievous undertone of laughter, and Qiao Yu could almost picture her now, smiling leisurely yet with a hint of smugness in her eyes. This expression was rare; Lin Qing always maintained a reserved and gentle demeanor in front of others, seldom letting her emotions show on the surface.
Qiao Yu was delighted by Lin Qing’s unguarded ease in her presence. Feeling a warmth in her heart, she softened her voice and began speaking, following Lin Qing’s prompt.
“I’ll play the painter with my eyes, and sketch your beauty on the canvas of my heart.”
The air tingled with the ambiguity of her sudden words. Qiao Yu heard Lin Qing’s soft intake of breath, but there was no reply; it was as if she was waiting for what Qiao Yu would say next.
Holding her breath, Qiao Yu lowered her gaze to the bracelet on her wrist.
“—Shakespeare, that’s your favorite, right?”
She didn’t let the tense atmosphere linger, breaking the silence with a clear and lively voice.
“Ah…yes, that’s right.”
Lin Qing paused for a moment, then quickly returned to her usual self, while a tumult of emotions roiled in Qiao Yu’s heart, which she eventually managed to suppress.
“…But this can’t be counted as a New Year’s wish, can it? This is a love poem, Qiao Yu. Did you actually study it or did you just memorize it because it looked pretty?”
Hearing the playful and cheery voice coming from the other end of the phone allowed Qiao Yu to relax and she hastened to explain herself.
“Because it is a pretty poem… Alright, alright, I’ll change it to wishing you become even prettier in the New Year. Is that better?”
“What a half-hearted blessing.”
“Teacher Lin Qing, please forgive me, I’m really bad with words. When someone throws me off, I can’t think of anything else to say.”
Both of them laughed, dispelling the previously ambiguous air, and Qiao Yu quietly heaved a sigh of relief.
Then they chatted casually for quite a while, until nearly half-past twelve, when faint knocking sounds came from the other side of the line. Lin Qing told her to hold on and went to open the door, after which Qiao Yu heard a familiar voice.
“Auntie sent me to call you down for dumplings. Speaking of which, why haven’t you been chatting in the group for so long? And that guy Qiao Yu too, no idea what she’s up to—hmm? Are you on the phone?”
Qiao Yu stayed silent, listening to the sounds on the phone that turned into what seemed like a man-made silence followed by some indistinct filler words, sounding like a troupe of ecstatic monkeys chittering away.
After a long moment, Lin Qing’s voice came back on, tinged with apology. “I’ve got to head down for dumplings. Let’s chat another time, okay?”
Not really wanting to pry into what had just happened, Qiao Yu hummed in response, “Go on, go on. Besides, we’ll be seeing each other in a few days, then we’ll have loads of time to catch up.”
So the two said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Qiao Yu settled back into the quiet, feeling her previously anxious heart slowly calm down.
That was close.
Hiding her feelings in front of Lin Qing turned out to be harder than she had imagined.
The heart of youth is often accompanied by impulsive throbs. It’s particularly perilous when you realize you’re being favored by the one you’ve got a crush on.
Like just now, Qiao Yu almost let her guard collapse completely when Lin Qing gave her the first New Year’s call—she nearly blurted out her feelings without a second thought.
She pressed her forehead against the icy window, cooling her overheated mind, her fingers trembling as they repeatedly traced over the bracelet Lin Qing had given her, caressing the line of poetry engraved on it with lingering affection.
“…from there, the sun will sneak in, stealing glances and gazing at your hiding place.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Qiao Yu murmured the words left unsaid, her breath fogging up a patch of the window.
Staring at the mist that was doomed to fade, Qiao Yu, as if under a spell, lifted her hand and unconsciously scrawled a short dash on it.
Then, like waking from a dream, she startled and jumped up, hastily wiping away the patch of fog.
All that remained was a clean, clear window. Outside, the lights of thousands of homes hadn’t gone out yet, looking dazzling and colorful—a world alive with the warmth of human life.
The new year had arrived.
